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May

Mom's Day Brunch

In April of 2008 I became a mom to a baby girl. The first few weeks at my new job title as a mom were a little rocky. I have never taken care of a baby, and didn’t really have an understanding of what my new position in life entailed. First off, newborns don’t do much but eat, sleep, and cry. When I was sleep deprived, dancing up and down the hall chanting “shhhhhhhhh” to my screaming daughter, I decided I was going to get on a schedule and be organized. Hell, it always worked with my career! Fast forward to three months in and I smell like a mix of baby vomit and diaper cream. The bags under my eyes had turned into a deep shade of grey. I was still rocking maternity clothes and had small crying jags when I would see actresses on US Weekly proclaim they had a baby 12 minutes ago and slipped back into their size 2 jeans. My calm managerial mentality was held hostage by hormones. The Parental Mission Statement turned into a white flag and survival plan. Months pass and daughter is sleeping, I am back to work, and I threw away my Crocs and sweatpants. Things were getting easier, I revisited my corporate parental mentality. Teething began and I dug my crocs out of the garbage and called my mother crying. At that moment I have never loved, appreciated, and valued my mother more.

I know some of you think you have the best mom, but I am pretty sure my mom would be in the running for the title. My dad worked a lot, so she bore the burden of chauffeuring, lunch packing, house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping….she did it all. I never remember her losing her cool or begging us to stop whining. Everyone always spoke about how successful my father was, how he had an amazing work ethic. I rarely remember anyone singing my mother’s praises for her time management skills or killer negotiating tactics. Yet, she was the CEO of our household, and performed her position with warmth, kindness, and laser focus. My mother was a “stay at home mom”, which is comical to me because I don’t remember her staying at home. She was too busy running errands between drop offs and pick ups. I don’t know many high paid executive assistants that could match her attention to detail and memory. Here is the kicker, she always felt like she didn’t achieve very much. Karen never understood that without her my dad couldn’t have ran a business or all three of her children couldn’t have graduated from college. She was the driving force behind everyone's success, and she is one of the best CEOs I have ever worked with.

In honor of all the hardworking mothers out there, I will be raising a glass of champagne at 11:00am on May 10th. I found that if you throw a brunch, you're not looked down upon for drinking before noon. Brunch is the magical combination of breakfast, lunch, and cocktails. Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday and late night celebrations usually don’t jive with Monday morning schedules. A brunch gives you the opportunity to celebrate with family and friends, but still have the evening to relax and recover. If you decide to honor mom this Mother’s Day with a brunch, here a some recipes and tips.

Breakfast Casseroles are awesome for brunch. You can make them ahead of time and customize them to what you and your friends and family enjoy. I would hit the bakery at the grocery store and pick up some coffee cake or bagels and cream cheese to serve with your casserole.

Hella Good Breakfast Casserole:

24 oz. Pork sausage

6 slices bacon

3 c. frozen hash browns

½ c. chopped onion

1 c. green bell pepper

1 c. Bisquick mix

2 c. extra sharp cheddar cheese

2 c. milk

½ tsp. Garlic powder

½ tsp. Pepper

¼ tsp. Salt

4 eggs

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Hit a 13x9 baking dish with a few shots of Pam cooking spray. Cook bacon until crispy and set aside. In a skillet, cook onion, green pepper and sausage. When the sausage is no longer pink, drain the grease and combine with bacon, hash browns and cheese. Put into your 13x9 baking dish. In a separate bowl, stir together your Bisquick mix, milk, spices and eggs and pour over meat mixture. Cook for 35 minutes.

If you are like me and you aren't really a breakfast person, try these out for your lunch loving friends and family.

BLT Pasta Salad

1 lb. bowtie pasta, cooked al dente

1 1/2 c. Italian dressing

2 avocados, cubed

1 lb. crispy bacon, chopped

2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

10 leaves chopped crispy Romaine lettuce

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate until chilled.

Cran-Pecan Chicken Salad

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 pkg. Salad Topper Honey Roasted Pecan and Cranberries

1 c. mayo

salt and pepper to taste

Serve on Croissants or toasted bread.

The coolest thing about brunch is the cocktails! Here are a few of my favorite cocktails to drink before noon.

Peachy Salty Dog

2 oz. Peach New Amsterdam Vodka

4 oz. pink grapefruit juice

Salt the rim of the glass with kosher salt. Serve over ice.

Moscato Mimosa

4 oz. Stefano Farina Moscato d'Asti

2 oz. orange juice

Serve over ice or in a chilled glass. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.

My Favorite Bloody Mary

2 oz. Absolut Chicago Vodka

4 oz. Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix

Dash Tabasco sauce

Serve over ice. Garnish with a celery stalk, lime wedge and cheese cube.

Much love to all the mamas out there! High five yourself for being a rockstar Mom and, if you're like me, for being an imperfect spaz but doing the absolute best you can!